Loading apparatus



Jan. 17, 1928.

G. W. RIENKS LOADING APPARATUS Filed April 19. 1924 ATTORNEY.

- INVLNTOR l @,WRlENKs l 5 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 17, 192s. 1,656,501

G. w.R1E1-Ks LOADING APPARATUS 5 ts-Shere. 2

INVENTOR.

Jan.17,192s. 1,656,501

G( W. RIENKS wwwa APPARATUSV IN VEN TUR.

Patented Jan. 17, 1928.

UNITED STATES GEORG-E W. BIENES, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

LOADING Arranamus.

Application led April 19, 1924. Serial No. 707,690.

My invention relates to apparatus .for loading beets or other' produce of similar character into wagons or railroads cars and its primary object is to provide a combina- I tion of elements which co-operate to convey i beets-delivered in quantities by wagons or other conveyances, to an elevated point I. of discharge and to cause during the course of their conveyance adherent dirt to be separated from the roots.

A further object of the invention resides in providing a simple and highly elicient rotary appliance for the elevation of the beets, and still other objects reside 1n d eltails of construction as will fully appear 1n the course of the following description.

A practical embodiment of my invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings in the several views ofwhich like parts are similarly designated and in which Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of the elements comprised in the invention in their co-operative association;

lFigure 2, a vertical section along the line 35 2 2, Figure 1;

Figure 3, a similar` section taken on the line 3 3, Figure 1;

Figure 4, an enlarged transverse section of the horizontal conveyor and separator of the apparatus in a plane indicated by'the line 4.--4 in Figure 1;

Figure 5, a longitudinal section of an end portion of the conveyor;

Figure 6, a fragmentary plan view-'ofl the conveyor in connection with adjoining parts of the supporting structure, looking downwardly from the plane designated in Figure 1 b the line 6 6;

. igure 7, an enlarged transverse section v of the elevator of the apparatus along the line 7 7, Figure 2; and A,

Figure 8, a section taken on the llne 8 8, Figure 7. Referring morespecifically to the drawings, the reference numeral 5 designates a supporting structure preferably composed of structural metal upon which the elements comprised in the invention are co-operatively assembled. 5 A circular elevator6 is supported for rotation upon two pairs of fianged wheels 7 which engage with rails 8 at the circum- -titions13 into buckets which are open at the inner circumference of the wheel.

The elevator is provided with a peripheral toothed circular rack 14 which is operatively engaged by a pinion l5 onthe shaft of vone of the pairs of ysupporting wheels, and a train of reduction gears 16 connect the 4 pinion shaft 17 with a line shaft which in the operation of the appartus, is driven by connection with the rotor of a motor 18 shown 1n Figure 1 as installed in an engine room 19 built at an end of the supporting structure.

, Hinged as at 20 at a side of the elevator, is a tilting platform 21 onto and from which the delivery wagons are driven along slanting approaches 22 as shown in Figure 2.

A tackle 23 connects the platform at its edge opposite to that at which it is hinged, to a hoist 24 which is installed in adjacency to the motor and in geared connection with the driving part thereof.

In the operation of the apparatus, the wagonsv 25 in which the beets are delivered from the iieldare driven onto the platform and unloaded by tilting the platform to the position indicated in Figure 1 in broken lines, sideways displacement of the wagon being prevented by the engagement of their .wheels with one or more stop rails 26.

The beets fall from the tilted wagons into la chute 27 which conducts them into the buckets of the rotary elevator at the lowermost point thereof.

The chute is preferably made in the shape v of a bottomless boX conforming with the space inside the Wheel of the elevator at the lower portion thereof and having a hopperlike mouth connected at the rear side of the chute with an upright fender-board 28 which prevents the beets from falling outside the wheel. U

The revolving/movement of the elevator in the direction of the arrow. A in Figure 3,

- imparted thereto through in the longitudinal the medium of the motor-driven pinion 15, carries the beets loaded into its buckets, upwardly to be dischar therefrom at the highest point of the cxrcle of rotation.

A shield 29 covers the buckets along the u per portion of the ascending side of the wlheel to prevent the beets from falling out before they reach the point of discharge and it will-be evident that beets carried upwardly in excess of the capacity of the buckets fall back into the chute before the buckets pass across the lower edge of the shield.

rIhe beets dicharged from the elevator fall onto an endless conveyor 30 which extends through the s ace within the wheel irrimediately below t e point 'of discharge hereinbefore described.

The conveyor comprises a wheeled carriage frame 31 supported upon a horizontal railroad track laid at the top of the supporting structure for the longitudinal adjustment of the conveyor as wlll hereinafter be more fully described.

Two pairs of sprocket wheels 33 on shafts rotatably mounted at opposite ends .of the conveyor, carry endless roller chains 34 which travel in longitudinal guide ways in the sides of the carriage as best shown in Figure 4. rlhe chains are connected by transverse blades 35 which in the operation of the conveyor impel the beets over a grated floor referably composed of parallel tubes or ro s 36 supported in chains 37 on transverse members of the carriage. Pins 38 on the blades project inthe spaces between the tubes to prevent their being clogged by accumulating dirt.

In the operation of the apparatus, the 4endless element of the conveyor is iven in the direction of the arrow B in Figure 1 by means of a pair of beveled gear wheels 39 and 40 mounted respectively on the shaft of one of the pairs of' sprocket wheels and on a shaft 41 which extends longitudinally of the conveyor at one side thereof.

The shaft is supported for rotation in boxes 42 fastened at the adjacent side of the conveyor carriagle and in bearings v43 fastened to an uprig t 44 of the supporting structure.

' A sprocket wheel 45 disposed between the last mentioned bearings, is mounted to impart a rotary movement to the shaft 41 through the instrumentality of. a' key 46 lwhichis slidably fitted in a longitudinal groove of the shaft and the rocket wheel 1s driven by means of a cha1n.47 passing around a corresponding wheel on one of the shafts of the transmission gearing `as best shown in Figures 2 and 3.

It will be apparent that the sliding key groove of the shaft 41 maintains an o rative connection between the driving mec anism and the endless conto unload veyor irrespective of the position of the carriage upon which the conveyor is mounted, relative to the supporting structure.

During movement of the beets across the ribbed and grated floor of the conveyor, the adhering dirt is dislodged from the beets and passes through the spaces of the floor, into a bin 48 which is mounted on the supportino' structure inside the wheel of the elevator.

. he bin has sloping sides to facilitate the downward movement of the dirt to a clischarge opening in the bottom of the bin, which is normally closed by a latched and counterbalanced door 49. The dischargeopening of the bin is positioned above a driveway 50 so that when the door is opened the dirt may be discharged. into wagons similar `to those by which the beets were delivered.

The cleaned beets carried on the conveyor are discharged across the outer end thereof and fall into'railroad cars 51 on a track 52 laid alongside of the structure of the apparatus.

By longitudinal adjustment of the carrage on which the conveyor is mounted, its discharge-end may be placed to the best advantage with relation to the box or openin of the car into which the .beets are dumpe and when the apparatus is not in operation, the conveyor may be completely withdrawn from the space above the track to permit of the passage of higher cars or cars that are loaded to the prescribed height limit.

Having thus described my improved loading apparatus, it will be understood that variations in the construction and arrangement of its parts may be resorted to within the scope and spirit of the invention.

It may be found desirable, for example, the wagons 25 and reload them with dirt at the same side of the elevator in which case, the tilting platform must be placed beneath the dirt-bin and the fender oard of the delivery chute is arran ed at the opposite side of its hopper-s aped mouth.

It will also be apparent that by using dump wagons to convey the beets to the elevator, the platform 21 may be made stationary and the tackle and hoist can be eliminated unless its use is desired for lifting thewagon boxes.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In loading apparatus of the character described, an elevator comprising a spoket less wheel mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and having buckets fixed interiorly of its rim, means for loading the buckets, means inside the Awheel to receive the load of the buckets below their point of discharge in the circle of rotation, and a shield coverin the buckets above the loadmg means an tothe point of discharge at the ascending side of the wheel to prevent of their being unloaded before they reach the p board to restrict the material buckets on the interior of the rim v the lower portion of the 'elevator wheel, and

means .to receive the material from the elevaltgr. o l

4. a loadlng' apparatus, a rotary e evator wheel, buckets on the interior of the rim of said wheel, and a chute to direct material to the buckets, consist' of a side havin a feeder board and space therefrom'a fen er fed to 'the chute.

signature.

i GEORGE W. RIENKS.

In testimony whereof I have `alixed my A 

